Space of a Heartbeat
by SkippingSteppingStones
Summary: When Leia senses her dad panicking, she runs to him, and discovers not only her brother, but her father. ONESHOT


AUs: Padmé survives RotS, marries Breha and helps raise Leia. Luke is still sent to Tatooine, so he can be trained as a Jedi later. He has been kidnapped.

Headcanons: none applicable

Trigger Warnings: slavery, blood

Leia's daddy was panicking.

Sometimes, she could just tell that, without even being very close.

And right now, she was _getting_ close, just in case it was important. She'd dropped her toys, and bolted from her room, and was sliding down the banister by her arm, completely out of control, and she still wasn't sure if she was going _fast_ enough.

As she neared the bottom of the staircase, she tried to brace her legs against the steps, flying by under her feet. The resulting clattering sent tremors up her spine and rattled her teeth, and by the time she reached the bottom, it was all she could do to stumble to a halt.

 _Almost to Daddy_ , she thought, pausing for a second as her wobbly legs refused to work with her.

Regaining her balance, she immediately began running again, almost destabilizing herself all over. But she managed to lunge forwards, knocking open the door to Daddy's "very important secret meeting".

It didn't _matter_ if she was supposed to be there, she thought, panting in the doorway as every head turned. It didn't _matter_ if Daddy had told her not to be here, because he needed her _now._

"Princess," he said, and she watched him stand up, looking almost as unsteady as she was. Her mommy sat ahead of him, her hands folded, and still looking calm, although Leia could feel an additional little clatter in her familiar heartbeat.

Bail wasn't using her title, to remind her she wasn't supposed to be here. He called her 'Princess' like that when he was telling her that she needed to be strong, and brave, like a princess. When he needed her to hold her head high.

She took a deep breath, pulling herself upright, and putting her feet closer together, before walking up to him, trying for all the world to act like she hadn't torn in here like she was being chased by pirates.

Folding her hands, she glanced at her mom, and got a little nod, and a very tiny smile in return. Uncertainly, she smiled back, wiggling her fingertips just a tiny bit, like her mom had when she was real little, before padding past her to her father. Slowly, the Viceroy knelt, reaching out to take her hand, and looking her in the eye.

"Sweetie," he murmured, just barely loud enough that the people around his table, who Leia couldn't spare a glance for, could hear. "I need you to go find Mommy."

"Which Mommy?" Leia asked, meeting his safe, dark eyes, and taking a little step closer to him. He wasn't panicking as much now, which was good, but she could feel that he only meant one of her mommies, and she wanted to make sure she got the right one.

She felt him struggle for a second not to be sharp, and knew her question had been stupid. Breha Mommy was right here, and if Daddy needed her, he could get her himself.

"Padmé Mommy," he answered, stroking her hair behind her ear, even though he'd just finished doing that.

He was still freaking out a little bit, she decided.

"Howcome?" she asked. Maybe he hadn't really stopped panicking at all, she thought, grabbing his hand as he tried to tuck her hair back a third time. Maybe she'd just fallen for the face he'd put on for the other politicians.

She was supposed to know better than that, she thought, and the look on her Daddy's face immediately told her she'd accidentally scowled.

Quickly, she rearranged her face to look like a good princess again, before she felt a tremor, and leaned forwards into Bail's arms, pressing her face against his ear.

"I know, sweetie," he murmured, and she felt him give her a little squeeze, before he pulled her back.

Leia didn't know. She didn't know what she was so worried about, or why her daddy was panicking, or why she'd had to run all the way down here to make sure everything was gonna be okay.

"Howcome?" she asked again, looking up at him worriedly. "Why've I gotta get Mommy?"

Bail shook his head, and Leia thought he seemed like he was having a different conversation.

"Perhaps it would be best if you just took him to her."

"Took _who?"_ Leia asked, and she felt her voice rise a little bit.

She didn't like the other people in the room, she thought, and now she nervously spared them a glance. They all seemed big, and scary, and they were wearing all the finery that her mommies and daddy never did, cause their people needed the money more.

She didn't wanna take them to her mommy. She kinda wished she hadn't come running when she'd felt Daddy panicking, at least then she wouldn't have had to share a room with them!

"Shh…" Bail said, and Leia felt herself calm down a bit as he bent, and kissed her forehead softly. "It's alright, princess… he's right here."

Leia leaned back, her heart clattering as Daddy stood up, and gestured regally, his other hand falling to her shoulder.

And then, a boy emerged from the other side of the table, his head bowed, and hands folded, just like hers.

He was wearing fancy clothes too, she noticed, but they weren't fancy quite the same. They were mostly unadorned, although he wore a small crown, and the expense seemed to have gone largely into the softness of the fabric.

"Tell her, 'like Anakin'," Daddy murmured to Leia, as the boy stepped up to them, and Leia instinctively reached out her hand.

At the name, though, the boy's shoulders stiffened, and Leia felt the air crackle between the three of them, before the boy took her hand, his own too light, like he didn't want her to know the weight of his humanity.

"I-I'm gonna take you to meet my Mommy," she said, struggling to keep her voice level.

There was something wrong about this whole situation, but she couldn't quite figure out what. This boy was okay, though, she knew. She didn't really know how, except that it was sorta the same way she'd known to come running.

He barely nodded, and she nervously released his hand, not liking how he barely touched her.

Squaring her shoulders again, she turned back towards the door she'd entered from, wishing it wasn't all the way on the other end of the table, before marching back out.

The boy followed her, quieter than the breeze in her room late at night, when Mommy had to close the windows, and kiss her cheek and promise her that nothing was outside.

She could only barely hear him, and the moment the door closed after them, she turned back to him, grabbing for his foot, desperate to know how he was so silent.

"Ah!" he gasped, and he nearly fell over as she pulled his foot too hard, harsh in her nervousness.

He wasn't wearing shoes, really. They were more like slippers, she thought, carefully touching the sole, and hearing him let out a little whimper. It was soft, almost exactly the same material as the rest of his outfit, which she thought looked more like pyjamas than anything to be worn to a political meeting.

"Who's Anakin?" she demanded.

The boy looked back towards the door they'd just exited, and shifted from foot to foot, seeming not to have heard her, and she grabbed his hand again, remembering her daddy's instructions.

"And who're you?"

"I… I'm Luke," he mumbled, and Leia glanced back as she threw her shoulder against a door.

"Why'm I supposed to take you to meet my Mum?" she asked, pulling his hand to get him through the door before it's massive weight could come crashing back at them.

"I dunno!" he squeaked, and Leia felt a bit safer as he finally grasped her hand properly, letting her haul him along more easily.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, beginning to take the steps too quickly, and nearly pulling the boy over.

"Because I'm yours now!" he said, and Leia stumbled to a stop as he began to cry.

"Mine?" she asked, his hand slipping from hers as she stepped back down towards him.

"Or your dad's! I don't know!" He was shaking now, clutching the hand she'd held to his chest, as though she'd burned him.

"Dad's?" she asked, still nonplussed, finally stopping just a step above him.

"I'm a slave," he whispered, covering his face, "Just like my father. I dunno how he knew…"

Leia hovered for a moment, trying to process, before she took his hands, and gently kissed them. She barely knew what slavery _was_ , just that it was _wrong,_ but she wanted him to know he'd be okay.

"Mommy's gonna like you," she promised.

He didn't answer, just looking away, lifting his hand a bit and making it feel all wrong and weightless again.

"She's gonna keep you _safe_ ," she continued, letting go of his hand. She thought he might not really like when she held it, but she wasn't sure.

"I… I want to meet her…" Luke whispered. "If that's alright."

"Yeah," Leia agreed, before turning back up the stairs, walking slower now, so she didn't have to pull him.

Her mind was racing.

Slavery was something bad that happened in _other_ corners of the galaxy, far, far away from here! Her moms and dad _hated_ slavery, they wouldn't even stand for compulsory employment here at home!

Slowly, she turned back to look at him, still wringing his hands, and walking too quietly, and looking around anxiously.

She wanted to say something, and make it better, but even with all her parents' hard work, she didn't even know where to begin. All she could think was that her mom would make it all okay, and she'd already told him that.

Finally, they reached the door to her mom's office, and she pushed against it with her whole weight, the heavy wood difficult for her to move.

Mom didn't look up, immediately, and Leia let out a little breath, before taking the first step into the room, holding the door for long enough for Luke to get in, before letting it swing closed.

Mommy didn't know he was here yet, and she didn't know the awful things that were going on downstairs, and that the bad men had made them all slavers. And if Mommy could not-know about important stuff like that, then maybe it wasn't quite as world shattering just yet.

Trying not to panic, Leia padded across the room, reaching her mother, and leaning her had on her side.

She was probably being selfish, she thought, as her mom's hand fell to her head absently, Padmé still focused on her work, probably thinking she'd just got bored of her toys. But Leia was scared, now. She wanted to protect the boy, and make him okay, but she was scared that their whole world was gonna go bad now, and maybe slavery would get okay here too, and maybe Luke wouldn't be like her friend after all, and what if Daddy was hiding that this was allowed now!

She took a shaky breath, and Padmé finally looked down at her.

"What is it, Leia?"

Leia took a trembling breath, and stepped back, looking to the boy, before her mother followed her gaze, and Leia felt as if the whole room had suddenly gone immobile.

Her mom was as stiff as a statue, and Luke was still, except for his trembling, but that wasn't even all of it. It felt like the air itself had frozen, and it might not go into her lungs anymore and she might die of the stillness.

And then her mom gasped, and Leia felt air rush into her own lungs as Padmé stumbled to her feet, tripping towards the boy.

"Luke!" she gasped, and Leia flinched as she fell to her knees too hard, like she'd just fallen, and it hadn't really been on purpose.

"How do you know my _name!"_ the boy shouted, and as Mom reached out to touch him, he struck her.

"Don't hit her!" Leia shouted, racing forwards to push the boy away from her mommy, who only wanted to _help_ him!

But she was brought up short by her mommy's arms, wrapped around her and constraining her.

"No, Leia," Padmé said, and Leia turned furiously up to her.

"But he was gonna hurt you!"

"He's frightened," Padmé sighed, slowly stroking Leia's hair back, as Leia turned back to the boy.

He did look pretty scared, she had to admit.

He'd fallen over, probably when she'd jumped at him, and he was sitting on the floor, staring at her with a new kind of terror. She felt a rock sink in the pit of her stomach, and leaned back against her mommy's chest, sighing. She didn't want him to be scared, but he'd tried to hurt her mommy, and she didn't want that, either…

"I'm sorry, Luke," Padmé sighed, and Leia watched in trepidation as her mother reached out a hand to the boy. "Trying to touch you was unfair of me. You don't have to take my hand unless you want to."

Luke slowly shook his head, and Leia felt another little surge of anger, which she fought to shut up. She was supposed to be a good princess, she thought, pressing her face into her mother's arm. She had to be kind and fair and Luke really needed her mommy and her comfort right now.

"Daddy said, 'like Anakin'," Leia mumbled, trying to be good.

At the words, Mommy's arm tightened, and Leia stiffened as well. For a second, they all were silent, and Leia itched to turn around, to see if Luke had done something to make that moment so important.

Then Mommy was leaning over, and Leia had to scramble to stay mostly upright.

"You know that name, don't you," Mommy said, and Leia finally gave in, looking back to see Luke finally sniffle, wiping his nose on the back of his hand.

Then, he gave a little nod, looking away from the two of them. "He was my dad."

Padmé sighed, carefully repositioning herself to sit safely on the floor, Leia seated on one leg.

"I know, little one," she murmured, her arm tight around Leia. "He was my husband."

Luke's head snapped up, and Leia felt the same burning shock, and knew she must have looked just as confused.

Then, the boy's face fell, and he let out a sob, reaching for Padmé's hand, "Where _were_ you?!"

Padmé withdrew her arm from around Leia, to accept the boy as he crawled, shaking, into her arms.

Leia didn't mind now, she thought, leaning against Padmé's shoulder. Her eyes didn't seem to be working very well, and she didn't know when she'd last blinked. She was just staring at him.

At the boy who had been given to her father. He'd been a gift, like some stupid awful toy or something, and now Mommy was saying he was her brother, and she didn't know what to _do!_

For a second, she wondered if maybe they'd brought Luke here just to give him back, so he'd be safe again, but she remembered too clearly the way he'd sobbed that he belonged to them now.

Noticing that she was in the way of her mom's arm, Leia slowly crawled off her lap, giving up the space to the boy. Her brother? Luke.

She crawled away to a safe distance of a few feet, not really remembering how to get up onto her feet, before sitting down with her legs crossed, looking back to her mom.

Mom'd noticed she was gone, she thought, watching as the queen pulled the boy closer to herself, pressing her face into his light hair.

"When we lost contact with Obi-Wan, we thought you were lost along with your aunt and uncle," Padmé whispered, and Leia inched forwards again, not wanting to miss anything.

"They took me _away_ ," Luke whimpered, and Leia watched in fascination as he slowly reached up and wrapped his arms around their mother's neck. "They killed Uncle Owen, and they took me and Auntie Beru away!"

"Your aunt is still alive?" Padmé asked, and Leia carefully reached out to put her hand on her mother's knee.

This was all so strange, and she kinda worried that her mom and her brother, and the whole palace might disappear if she let it go.

Luke shook his head, and the sharp prongs of his awful little crown dug into Padmé's cheek slightly. "I don't _know,"_ he croaked in despair.

Uncertainly, Leia pulled herself to her feet, reaching over to take the crown from his head. Luke winced, and Padmé opened her eyes, looking up at Leia as if to reprimand her, before giving her a tiny nod.

Carefully, Leia pulled the crown off, and stumbled back, holding it tightly in both hands as she watched her brother deflate.

"I dunno," Luke whimpered again, and Leia stepped away, going back to her mom's chair, and boosting herself up, looking down at the crown.

He was her brother, she told herself, pulling her legs up against her chest as her mom started to rock him. He was her brother, and those bad people downstairs had hurt him, and it sounded like they'd _killed_ people!

And they'd given him to her parents so they could use him and hurt him, and Leia didn't like that either.

"Luke," Leia started uncertainly, and the boy shifted in her mother's arms.

She didn't really have anything to say to him. She'd thought she did, and now she wondered what kind of thing she'd thought she'd had. Did she think she had a way to make it better?

"Mommy," she said, still trying to say _something_ , so maybe this could at least make sense and be okay to _her_ , "Was Anakin my dad?"

Padmé sighed, and Leia watched as she slowly got to her feet, still cradling Luke.

Leia wondered if she should get off of her mommy's chair, so she could sit back down, but her legs weren't working again, and she squeezed Luke's crown too tight, and blood ran out between her fingers.

"He was, Leia."

Her mommy sounded so tired.

"I'm going to take Luke to the visitor's quarters," she continued, reaching down to pull the crown from Leia's bleeding hands. "You can come if you want. If you do, bring some bandages, I don't want to leave him alone tonight and your hands need some treatment."

Leia looked down at the blood for a second in confusion. She wasn't used to bleeding, when they were just sitting around…. Sometimes she skinned her knees, or messed up her hands, but the crown had left sharp, deep cuts, and unlike the gravelly pain of tripping on the paths, she hardly felt them.

Without thinking, she brushed them off on her dress, and had to bite back a cry of pain.

"Oh, Leia," Padmé sighed, and Leia felt her mom itching to reach down to lift her as well.

Swallowing her pain, Leia shook her head, and slid off the chair, reaching for the first aid kit that hung beside her mom's desk, for treating the scrapes Leia would come to her with.

Cowed and hurting, Leia reached up with one hurting hand, and carefully wrapped it around a bit of her mom's skirt.

Her brother was looking at her, she realized suddenly, and she bit her lip, trying to stop crying at her cuts.

He'd been through so much more, and she _didn't_ want him thinking she was weak!

"It's okay," he mumbled, sounding uncertain at even voicing his thoughts, "I know it hurts."

Leia sniffled again, and the composure she'd tried to regain fell away again as she pulled her mom closer to press her face to.

Padmé slowed down, cautiously taking an arm from under the boy to gently stroke Leia's head as they walked.

Ahead of them, Leia heard a door open, and Padmé gently guided her in. Not wanting to trip on anything, she pulled back from her mom's safe arms, and looked around the room quickly. It was pretty nice, with a big plush bed, and a holovision on the other wall, and its own 'fresher, but Leia tugged on her mother's dress, and tilted her head.

Luke would get his own REAL room, wouldn't he? Near hers?

Padmé gave her a slight nod, reaching down to pull back the blankets, and lower her son to the bed. Leia carefully tried to get up onto the bed without getting any of her blood on it, as her mother tucked him in, and delicately kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to stay with you tonight," she told him, carefully seating herself at his feet.

Leia looked over at him, as she clenched her fists and tried to gain leverage with her elbows. These beds were so high! But her brother gave a little nod, and pointed to her uncertainly, "Her too?"

"If she wants to," Padmé told him, before noticing Leia's struggle, and reaching down to lift her into her arms. "Would you like her to?"

Luke gave a shy, tiny nod.

"I'll stay," Leia promised, reaching down towards him, forgetting her bloody hands for a second, before her mother intercepted them.

"Ah, ah," Mom said, catching her wrist, and carefully turning her palm upwards, "You'll need some bandages. Luke, do you need any treatment?"

Luke shook his head, gripping at the blankets, "They wanted me in perfect condition, for you."

Leia watched as her mom opened the first aid kit, and began looking for the bandages and antiseptic as she answered, "Well, that's certainly the condition I prefer my children to be in."

Leia could hear her smile, but she still leaned back against her chest, ashamed, "Sorry, Mom…"

"It's all right, Leia."

Carefully, her mother spread both her hands out on her knees, and carefully sprayed them with bacta, before beginning to wrap them in bandages.

"I'll call someone to bring another bed for you," she told Leia, finishing with the bandages, and kissing her forehead as well.

Leia started to nod, but Luke was looking uncertain and worried again, and she tilted her head at him instead.

"I wanna…" He drifted off, uncertain.

"Wanna what?" Leia asked, carefully pulling herself from her mother's arms to go sit nearer to him.

"Can you stay with me?" Luke asked. He wasn't looking at her, just fidgeting with the blanket again. "We had to share beds, with Master… I don't wanna be alone."

"Okay," Leia agreed. She didn't mind sharing a bed, even though she usually got her own. Sometimes, she still liked to go snuggle with her mommies or daddy, especially when she had nightmares.

And her brother had kinda had a big nightmare, with his whole life.

She lay down on top of the blankets, pressing her back against him, and closing her eyes.

When she'd gone to her daddy, she hadn't been tired at all, but now she felt like her limbs were too heavy, and they'd sink right through the bed.

"I'll go get your pyjamas," Padmé told her, and Leia gave just a tiny nod, curling her legs up to her chest.

When the door had closed, Luke reached over to her, gripping her shoulder tightly.

"My auntie," he mumbled, and she cautiously rolled over to look at him. "Is she gonna find her?"

"Yeah," Leia promised, meeting his scared eyes, and trying to make her own as reassuring as possible as she grabbed for his hand with her own bandaged ones. "An' now we know where you are, she'll make it easy."

"Okay," he whispered, and he closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers.

"It'll be okay," Leia whispered, pressing back, and squeezing his hands as much as she dared.

The door reopened, and they both looked up to see their mom, a folded pair of pyjamas in one hand, and a communicator in the other.

She hurried over to them, pulling Leia's drowsy body up from the mattress, and starting to get her into her pyjamas, her bandaged hands getting in the way too much to do it herself.

"I've spoken to Bail," Mom said, carefully pulling the stretchy neck down over Leia's head, and feeling through the sleeve for her hand to pull it through as well, Leia helping as best she could. "Now that we know who bought you, we can trace the purchases back until when you were with your aunt. From there, we can figure out who bought her, and we should have her back within the week."

Mommy kissed Leia's forehead and started tucking back the blankets for her. Leia couldn't move. Her body felt like goo, only held upright by the fact that there was more of her underneath it, and she thought if she bent over, she might melt away into the blankets.

After a moment of waiting, her mom sighed softly, and carefully leaned her over, and tucked her in next to her brother as she tried weakly to hold on.

"Get some rest, now," Mommy said, tucking the blankets up to Leia's chin, and bending over to give Luke another kiss as well. "I'll be right here, I just have to make a few calls. But in the morning, we need to introduce Luke to our people. And you," she gently poked Leia's nose, and Leia giggled tiredly, "Need to sleep so your hands can heal."

"O…okay, Mommy," Leia sighed, nestling her head into her pillow, and closing her eyes.

Going to sleep was gonna be the easiest thing in the _galaxy…._

For a few minutes, Leia was pretty sure she was asleep.

The galaxy was all dark, and warm, and peaceful, and she didn't really feel her brother beside her. She wondered a little bit, why she wasn't dreaming, but she wasn't too worried about it.

Then, she heard her mom's voice.

"-We have to tell Anakin."

Her mom sounded all weird, and sorta panicky.

Anakin... Anakin was her dad, right? And Luke's, too? She hadn't known about him, before today…. She didn't know why. But Luke seemed to like him…

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

It was Daddy on the other end of the comm.

"He would be furious if he discovers Luke made it home, and we didn't tell him."

Bail sighed, and Leia found herself holding her breath. She didn't know what was happening.

She thought her dad was dead? Wasn't that why she had a new dad, and another mom, now? Her mommy wouldn't have fallen in love again, if her dad was still alive…

"You're right," Bail agreed.

"I'll make the call," Mommy said, and Leia felt as if her fingers and toes were trembling with how hard she was trying not to be noticed awake.

"I'll speak to our _guests_ ," Bail said, and his voice dripped with hatred, "And find out where they got Luke."

"Give Breha a kiss for me," Padmé said, and Leia thought she could almost see her daddy smiling, and rolling his eyes, like he always did when she said that.

"Good luck."

Daddy didn't really sound like he was smiling, though, and Leia felt her shoulders tense up.

She wondered if her brother was awake beside her.

She heard the call end, and there was a long pause before she heard another voice.

"Padmé."

It was deep, and Leia trembled instinctively. A rattling breath confirmed it, and she reached out, too quickly, for her brother. It was Vader.

Luke squeezed her fingers back, and Leia tried to breathe normally. She knew Vader'd talk loud enough to hear, and she was scared that if she dared not to breathe, she might start crying.

"I trust you have information about our son's whereabouts," Vader said.

"He was returned to us," Mommy said, and Leia trembled at the coldness in her voice. "In a highly unlikely way. It seems that your change of heart on the topic of _slavery_ has served us, for once."

"Not _mine_ ," Vader said, and Leia could hear a tremble in his voice. Hurt, and anger, before he took another rattling breath, and asked, "He was enslaved?"

"And given to Bail, Breha, and myself as a _gift_ ," Mommy spat.

"I wish to see him," Vader said, and Leia dared to peek out from under her lashes at her mommy.

Padmé physically leaned back from the projection in disgust, and Leia squeezed her brother's hand again, intertwining her fingers with his again and again, trying to be still and calm.

" _Padmé!"_ Vader said, sounding desperate, " _Please,_ I searched with you, I had my agents in every corner of the galaxy, I did everything I _could!_ It could as easily have been me to find him! I've seen our daughter, if only from a distance; please, let me see our son, as well."

"You will see him when the rest of the galaxy-," Mommy began, but Luke was squeezing Leia's hand, too tight, and her eyes were starting to water with the pain of it, before he suddenly released her, and pushed himself up.

"Daddy?"

"Luke!"

Leia dared to open her eyes, although she didn't follow her brother as he stared at the back of the projection.

"Padmé, let me _see_ him!" Vader insisted.

"Luke." Mommy sounded very tired. "You're supposed to be asleep."

"I want to _see_ him," Luke begged, reaching out, and pulling on his mother's sleeve. "Please."

"Padmé," Vader said again, and Mommy sighed, gesturing to Luke that he could come forwards.

Immediately, Luke looked less excited about the prospect of getting to see his father. Leia watched as he slowly crawled up to his mother, his limbs seeming to be attempting to recede into his body as he leaned against her, finally.

"My son…" Vader murmured, and Leia watched as the projection reached out, as if to touch Luke.

But somehow, he must have actually _done_ it, Leia thought in shock, watching as her brother's hair stirred slightly, and he cracked a smile.

Mommy looked less pleased about it, but as Luke reached up to touch Vader's incorporeal mask, it was Vader's power that stopped him, seeming to take his hands, and fold them back against himself.

"Hello, little one," Vader said.

His voice rattled in Leia's bones, and she remembered how frightening he was when she visited the senate. But her brother let out an uncertain giggle, and reached again, only to be gently swatted off once more.

"None of that," Vader admonished gently, "You know I am not really with you."

"Let him," Mommy said firmly, and Vader nodded slightly, lowering his hands.

At the motion, Luke laughed again, louder, this time, almost sounding like a bark as he got to his knees and reached up through the holographic mask.

"I missed you," Luke said, waving his hands back and forth through the helm.

"And I was highly concerned about you, as well," Vader agreed, waiting for Luke to sit back down, before suddenly the whole room seemed to be under his control, as the spare blanket at the foot of the bed lifted itself, and swept around Luke.

"Tatooine, hm?" Vader asked him, the blankets sweeping him closer to the transmitter as Luke giggled again. "I suppose they had Kenobi watching over you. Planning to train you in secret."

"To work a vaporator, maybe," Luke said, sounding a bit confused as he tipped his head.

It looked like Vader was still moving stuff, Leia thought, watching as her brother's hands moved up, as if held gently.

"Oh, no, little one," Vader said, his voice sounding light, "For something far, far more important."

"What?" Luke asked, his eyes huge as he clung to invisible hands.

"You'll free the galaxy," Vader said, and Leia could _tell_ he was smiling!

Why was he smiling? He was _bad_ , he was everything Mommy hated, and he was what Luke'd have to free it from!

"And then your sister will restructure it," Vader told him, cupping Luke's chin in an invisible hand, stroking aside his hair. "Or so my visions said, little one…"

And now he sounded sad, and Luke was lifted right off the bed with a little gasp, as Mommy visibly kept herself from grabbing him back.

"So they said, until a mere month ago."

He carried Luke out of the transmitter's field of view, and suddenly, a second ghostly image appeared, seeming adverse to being seen by the machine.

He looked like a man, now. There wasn't the helmet and cape and scary breathing to this person, just a big scar over his eye.

"There was a time," he told Luke, and Leia dared to get to her hands and knees, crawling to her mother, who cautiously wrapped her arms around her in protection. "When my visions were absolute."

Luke was watching him in rapt attention, just like Leia and Padmé were.

The blue man chuckled, stroking Luke's bangs back off his forehead. "It would have made finding you a lot easier, wouldn't it…"

Luke nodded slowly, reaching up to touch his face, clearly experimenting to see if this was any more than the hologram had been.

Leia suspected it was.

"But I foresaw your mother's death," the man sighed, holding Luke closer, and pressing his forehead to Leia's brother's. "And my efforts were not what saved her… I had failed to see the entirety of the situation, as I considered myself too crucial… Since then, my visions have been nigh on meaningless."

"It's okay," Luke whispered, and Leia watched him take his father's cheeks in his hands, and crane his neck up to kiss his chin.

Anakin smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He still looked so sad, maybe even haunted. But he kissed Luke's forehead in return, "I am relieved that none of my visions of the potential futures of your kidnapping seem to have been realized."

Leia pulled forwards, coming to her knees, almost level with her brother, in the vision's arms. "What did you see?"

Immediately, he turned back to them, looking ecstatic. "Leia!"

Leia allowed herself to be lifted, but she leaned away from him as he tried to draw her close, like her brother. "What did you _see."_

"Leia," he sighed, awkwardly patting her knee with the few fingertips he didn't need to keep her balanced, "I saw your mother's death, when she was a heavily guarded _senator._ What do you suppose I saw when my son, a mere farmer, disappeared?"

"You knew he was a slave?" Leia whispered, looking over at her brother again, before reaching out a bandaged hand for his.

"It was only one possibility I saw," he said, before seeming to notice her hand, and awkwardly managing to grab it with the arm Luke was seated on. "But what happened to you?"

Leia blushed, turning away, and tugging lightly on her hand, "It was an accident… Jus' cut it a little…"

As her father released her hand and she folded it back against her chest, embarrassed, she couldn't help noticing that she wasn't as scared of him, now.

"Alright, Anakin," her mother said, and she watched his face fall as she held her arms out. "The children are tired. They need to rest."

"May I… may I see them again?" he asked, his arm tightening under Leia's legs, like he didn't want to let her go.

"Anakin, you know why you don't get to," Padmé said, and Leia let herself be lifted out of his arms, wrapping her arms around her mother as Luke clung to Anakin.

"I do," Anakin sighed, stroking Luke's hair again as Padmé placed Leia back on the bed, and reached out for her son. Anakin ducked his head, gently kissing Luke's ear, before holding him out. "I do… I'll try to reverse it, I swear to you…"

"Even then," Padmé said, laying Luke back under the covers as Leia crawled up to join him. "Do you believe I could trust you again?"

Leia caught a final glimpse of the ghost as he bowed his head, looking absolutely ashamed, before the holograph, having displayed Vader's still helmet for a while now, suddenly flicked off, and the ghost was gone.

"What?" she asked her mom, as Padmé tucked them both in again. "Why'd you not trust him?"

"You need to be asleep," Mommy sighed, bending over her to kiss Luke goodnight again.

"Why don't you _trust_ him?!" Leia demanded.

"Leia," Mommy said firmly, gripping her shoulder for a second. "Luke needs to rest. You need to rest. My falling out with your father can be largely inferred from our sides of the _war_ , but you can consider those implications _tomorrow,_ all right?"

Leia sighed, her mind already leaping to try to sort through everything her parents had ever told her about the rebellion, but she nodded.

Mommy sighed, and Leia reached her neck up so Mommy could kiss her forehead easier.

"I love you, sweetie," she said, before giving Luke's free hand a squeeze again.

"And you, Luke."


End file.
